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Helen Searles Westbrook

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American musician
Helen Westbrook
BornHelen Searles
(1889-10-15)October 15, 1889
Died1967 (aged 77–78)
Occupations
  • Organist
  • Composer
Organizations

Helen Searles Westbrook (October 15, 1889 – 1967) was an American composer and organist who appeared with Chicago Symphony.

Life

Westbrook was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts. She began organ lessons at age eleven with her mother, who was also an organist. Westbrook then studied with Arthur Dunham, Frank van Dusen, Wilhelm Middleschutte and Adolf Weidig at the American Conservatory, where she received a gold medal, as well as a young American Artists award. She married James Westbrook.

Westbrook was a theatre organist in Chicago. She played promotional concerts for the Hammond Organ Studios. She played with the Chicago Opera Company under Bruno Walter, as an organ soloist with Chicago Symphony, and on a WGN radio program for CBS which used her compositions "Dusk at Friendship Lake" and "Retrospection" as the program's theme songs. She was the music director at Central Church in Chicago.

Westbrook was a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Chicago Club of Women Organists. She  helped manage the club's "Florence B. Price Organ Composition Contest" in 1954.

Through Replica Records, Westbrook released at least one 33 rpm recording ("Helen's Holiday"), as well as three 45 rpm recordings with Cecil Roy and Betty Barrie: 1) Buddy's Butterfly 2) The Thistle/Buddy's Garden 3) Christmas Eve/Plasco Toys.

Compositions

Westbrook's compositions include:

Organ

  • Andante Religioso
  • Chanson Triste
  • Concert Piece in D
  • Dusk at Friendship Lakeu (used as the theme song for a CBS radio program)
  • Here Comes Santa Claus
  • Intermezzo
  • Laughing Sprites
  • Lento
  • Melodie
  • Menuett in Olden Style
  • On the Ontonagon River
  • Pastorale Scherzo
  • Poem for Autumn
  • Retrospection, (used as the theme song for a CBS radio program).
  • Waltz Circe

Vocal

  • Alabaster
  • Christ My Refuge (text by Mary Baker Eddy)
  • Hindu Cradle Song
  • If You Call Me
  • Invincible (text by Sarojini Naidu)
  • Magnificat (text by Helene Grossenbacher)
  • March Beside Him, Lord
  • Music I Heard With You (text by Conrad Aiken)
  • Six Indian Songs
  • Solace (text by Josephine Hancock Logan)
  • Wedding Prayer (text by Curt A. Mundstock)

References

  1. Stern, Susan, 1953- (1978). Women composers : a handbook. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-1138-3. OCLC 3844725.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. Hixon, Donald L. (1993). Women in music : an encyclopedic biobibliography. Hennessee, Don A. (2nd ed.). Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-2769-7. OCLC 28889156.
  3. Klos, Lloyd E. (August–September 1980). "Theatre Organists as Composers Part II". Theatre Organ: 8.
  4. Theatre Organ: Journal of the American Theatre Organ Society. American Theatre Organ Society. 1983.
  5. Anderson, Ruth, 1928-2019. (1976). Contemporary American composers : a biographical dictionary. Boston: G.K. Hall. ISBN 0-8161-1117-0. OCLC 2035024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. Cohen, Aaron I. (1987). International encyclopedia of women composers (Second edition, revised and enlarged ed.). New York. ISBN 0-9617485-2-4. OCLC 16714846.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. "Frances Shimer College Commencement". The Freeport Journal-Standard. June 3, 1937. p. 2.
  8. Gruenstein, Siegfried Emanuel (1945). The Diapason. Scranton Gillette Communications, Incorporated.
  9. "Theatre Organ: Journal of the American Theatre Organ Society". journals.shareok.org. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  10. McNamara, Daniel Ignatius (1948). The ASCAP Biographical Dictionary of Composers, Authors and Publishers. T. Y. Crowell Company.
  11. Phillips, Ora E. (August 1, 1935). "Report of Club of Women Organists" (PDF). The Diapason. p. 22.
  12. The Music Magazine/Musical Courier. 1953.
  13. "Helen Westbrook". Discogs. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  14. Stewart-Green, Miriam. (1980). Women composers : a checklist of works for the solo voice. Boston, Mass.: G. K. Hall. ISBN 0-8161-8498-4. OCLC 6815939.
  15. Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical compositions. Library of Congress, Copyright Office. 1942.
  16. Music Clubs Magazine: Official Organ. The Federation. 1958.
  17. Buhrman, Thomas Scott (1948). American Organist. American Guild of Organists.
  18. "Neil A. Kjos Music Co, For the Organ" (PDF). The Diapason. 35 (9): 2. August 1, 1944.
  19. Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1956). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series.
  20. Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1970). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series.
  21. Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1955). Catalog of Copyright Entries. U.S. Government Printing Office.

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